We might be debating definitions now. I called it a raid because every resource book I checked called it Early's Raid. He intended to raid Point Lookout to release 17,000 confederate prisoners.

History calls Antietam the Maryland Campagin and Gettysburg the Gettysburg Campaign, and Early's foray a raid, so that's good enough for me. Somebody else, a military person perhaps, may have to make the distinction for me.

But I got lost in the logic that your conclusion, based on what you called my criteria, that all confederate armies therefore had no offensive capability escapes me. Lee is basically on the offensive up until Gettysburg, and he isn't after Gettysburg. Why. Because Grant's got 120,000 guys with guns on the other side of the river and there's nothing Lee can do about it except fight them when they cross over. But he's not gonna be the guy to start another 'campaign' northward because he's got what, 65,000? Even Mr. Audacity knows better than that.